Steps to Choose the Best Life Coach Certification for You

Once you have made up your mind you want to step into the world of coaching as a life coach, it is but obvious you want to have a nice life coach certification that not only trains you for the job but also gives you the much-needed credibility as a new coach. Choosing a suitable life coach course, however, can be vexing given the availability of such a large number of life coach courses. In this article, we break down for you the criteria to use to simplify your hunt for a life coaching certificate that suits you best.

Step 1: General vs niche

Life coaching started out as a general field with a net wide enough to cover a large number of diverse fields. In the last few years, though, niche coaching, with its stupendous results, has become all the rage. Just in case you are unfamiliar with the concept of coaching niches, a niche is an area that a life coach specializes in. The area could be a domain of life or work such as relationships, wellness, leadership, or career transition, or it could be a specific type of people such as small business owners or women entrepreneurs.

Choosing a niche is recommended to stand out in the increasingly competitive space of life coaching, and there are many niche certifications available. At the start of your career, however, it can be difficult to identify a niche for yourself. It may be a good idea to first become familiar with the concept, tools, and methods of life coaching with a general life coaching course and then do a more specific course that relates to the coaching niche of your choice.

Step 2: Online vs offline

The digital revolution has made online learning available to everyone. No wonder there are dozens of online life coaching courses to choose from. Whether you would like to earn your life coaching certification online or on-site is something you need to decide for yourself.

Online life coach certifications are super convenient, and it’s possible for you to sign up for the best of them no matter where in the world you live. On-site life coaching courses come with the advantage of face-to-face human interaction, which matters to some people a lot, and are generally-speaking more engaging than online life coaching courses. Which learning mode you choose depends on factors relevant to you, but it’s a decision you must pay sufficient attention to.

Step 3: Price

Prices of life coaching certificates can vary tremendously. From a few hundred dollars on the low end to a few thousand dollars on the high end, life coach courses come with all kinds of price tags.

Price can be a sensitive factor, and it is undeniably a decisive factor for most people. Before settling for a suitable life coach certification, work out your budget, including taking into account the cost of setting up your life coach business, the cost of promoting it, and the cost of operating it before you break even. Do your research also on what makes the pricier life coaching certifications expensive and if they are worth the money they require you to part with.

Step 4: Curriculum

The curriculum of a life coach course is super important. You want your life coach certification to be comprehensive. At a minimum, it should provide you a firm theoretical base, should take you through, and equip you with, all the major skills life coaches use in their practice, and should provide you with, and train you in the use of, the life coaching tools.

It can be tempting to opt for a life coach course that pays only cursory attention to these aspects and takes you quickly to the more practical sides of life coaching instead. But remember that the origin, evolution, and the theoretical foundations of life coaching are crucial for a life coach to know and understand to deliver their services with conviction.

Step 5: Industry recognition

For all the time and money you are going to invest in your life coach course, it is essential that the certification is accepted in the industry. While life coaching continues to be an unregulated field and there are no legal requirements yet for a license or a certification, it is wise to take a long-term view and opt for a life coaching certification that has acceptance in the industry and will stand the test of time.

One way to gauge whether a life coaching certification has industry acceptance is to look for the credibility of the organization offering it. Credible organizations tend to have been in business for a sufficiently long time and have testimonials that speak to their credibility.

Enrolling for a life coaching certification is a great start to the exciting and fulfilling career of life coaching. One of the best beginner level online life coach certifications and master life coaching certifications can be found here. For a niche life coaching certification, check out this online wellness coach certification.